Woolly Bear Caterpillar – Winter Forecaster or Not?

PADUCAH, KY – Will we have a mild and wet winter or a cold and snowy winter? Many of you go to the woolly bear caterpillar for the answer.

The little critter has a reputation of being able to forecast an upcoming winter, but can you trust this fuzzy forecaster?

“I don’t think a woolly worm is a good forecaster,” says Amy Yontz

If you find a woolly worm, folklore says, the wider the brown band, the milder the winter, the more black you find, the more harsh the winter.

In the 1950s, Dr. Howard Curran, former curator of insects at the American Museum of Natural History tested the accuracy of the woolly bear caterpillar. He discovered they were accurate 80% of the time

“I just don’t think that the stripe of a worm would predict if we would have a heavier winter or not,” said Yontz

“I believe in them because Mother Nature could give us signs as to what the winter could be like,” says Zach Wright

If that is the case, according to this year’s woolly bear caterpillars, you might want to start preparing now for a cold and snowy winter.